THE Football Association are close to signing a £4million-a-year deal with electronic giants LG to become their principle sponsor.
The FA have been searching for a new blue-chip partner ever since they were forced to ditch Ladbrokes earlier this year.
And now they are close to agreeing a package with the Korean company which will see them become the sponsors of the FA Cup and the England national team, according to the Mail.
Bookmakers Ladbrokes saw their partnership with the FA ended in June just 12 months into a four-year £16m contract.
Officials at Wembley took the decision to terminate that sponsorship deal amid concerns about the tie-up between the game and betting companies.
The relationship between football and gambling had been criticised in the wake of Joey Barton being banned for betting on over 1,000 matches.
The FA board decided it was not possible for them to have a betting sponsorship when their own rules barred anyone in the game from staking money on football.
But it left them desperately scratching round for a new big-money partner at a time when the market for sport sponsorship deals was tough.
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So there is understood to be a relief within the FA they have managed to secure such a high profile deal in such a short space of time.
LG have a history of tie-ups in football sponsoring clubs and friendly competitions, but this will be their highest-profile partnership to date.
They have been club sponsors for Leicester and Fulham in England, along with Boca Juniors and Bayer Leverkusen.
Now they are expected to become the title sponsors of the FA Cup, which is still regarded as the world's premier domestic cup competition.
And they will also have heavy branding surrounding the various England national sides run by the FA from senior team down.
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